Workshop no.3

Last week I found it really difficult working one-to-one with the patients, but this week was a much more positive experience. The way we set up the room had a lot to do with this, I think, because we paired up into four groups working together, so we had more support from each other, and I think that the fact that we had started making on our dolls, and had something to show the people at the hospice made a difference because they could see a physical manifestation of the project, albeit an early version. I feel like I’m really getting on well with my partner, Eileen, now; our conversation was easy and relaxed, and we found a lot to talk about. We worked together, each making a shoe for the doll, and although she wasn’t confident in her sewing abilities the shoe she made fit better than mine! I then started to work on the doll’s hair, chatting with her and the rest of the table while I worked.

Emotionally, I have found this project very challenging, much more than I had expected. It’s clear when you go to the hospice that everyone there works tremendously hard to make it a positive place, and that’s what it is. It doesn’t feel like a hospital, it doesn’t feel like a sad place to be. However, the conversations that we have with the patients do cause a kind of introspection which is hard to ignore, and can make a person feel quite low. The flipside of this, though, is that we have an opportunity to meet some truly amazing people, and pay tribute to their lives. After this last workshop, I feel much stronger in what I’m doing, as though I’ve jumped that emotional hurdle and now I can just concentrate working on the doll for Eileen, and enjoy that.